


New Beginnings

by reylocalligraphy



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Author is not an expert on turkey, Ben is already whipped within minutes of meeting her, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Fluff, Han and Leia really cannot cook, Hopeful Ending, Pumpkin pie, Rey is a precious gem, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Dinner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-08-27 18:55:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16708138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reylocalligraphy/pseuds/reylocalligraphy
Summary: When Ben comes home for the first time in five years, it happens to be Thanksgiving dinner. He’s surprised to meet a girl who’s working for his father… an odd girl his parents seem strangely fond of.





	New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CaraRose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaraRose/gifts).



> This fic is written for [CaraRose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaraRose/pseuds/CaraRose) ([@carasstarwarsmusings](https://carasstarwarsmusings.tumblr.com)), who won second place in my [1000 Follower Giveaway](https://reylocalligraphy.tumblr.com/post/179673832283/1000-follower-giveaway-i-cannot-believe-it) on Tumblr! Thank you for requesting this wonderful prompt, I sincerely hope you like it.
> 
> Thank you to my incredible betas [HarpiaHarpyja](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarpiaHarpyja/pseuds/HarpiaHarpyja) and [AKnightOfWren](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aknightOfWren)!

 

 

 

The moment Ben steps into the house, he is hit with a thousand memories.

 

A hint of vanilla candle scent, mixed in with the aroma of a hearty home-cooked meal, wafts into his nose. It’s simultaneously familiar and dizzying—so much so that his lanky figure almost stumbles into the coat stand.

 

“Come on in, Rey, I’ll be right with you—” Leia’s voice rings aloud before her feet screech to a halt, her head swiveling to look up into her son’s dark, chocolate eyes.

 

_“Ben?”_

 

If he thought that the homely smell oozing with nostalgic memories was dizzying, hearing his mother whisper his name makes his head spin even more. “Hi, mom.”

 

“You…” It isn’t often that the former Senator, always the picture of eloquence and poise, is rendered speechless. “You… _came_. Home.”

 

Ben swallows thickly. “Yeah… I—I know it’s a spontaneous thing, I’m… sorry I didn’t notify you two sooner.” He scratches his neck sheepishly; he really should have thought his whole plan through, instead of barging home to his parents’ house without a backup plan. “Er—if you already have other plans tonight, I can leave—”

 

“No!” Leia exclaims. “No—please… join us. It’s Thanksgiving after all.”

 

His heart skips a beat in relief. “Right… uh, okay. Thanks. I’ll—”

 

“What’s taking so long, princess?” Han’s gruff voice booms from a distance.

 

Ben freezes. Memories and emotions seize the breath out of his throat, paralyzing his limbs and chilling his blood.

 

“I need your help, the oven is beeping again, and I don’t know why—”

 

“Ben’s home, Han!” shouts Leia.

 

“What?” questions Han. “I can’t hear you, did you say ‘ten bones?”

 

“No, Ben’s _home_!”

 

“‘Men’s phones’…? What are you talking about—”

 

Han shoves the kitchen door open and his gaze immediately flickers to his son, silently tracing over every wrinkle, curve, and blemish of Ben’s face. “Oh.”

 

The house falls into an utter hush, so still and quiet that Ben can hear the wooden floorboards creak as he shifts balance from one foot to another. “Dad,” he breathes out.

 

He doesn’t know what to expect as Han continues to stare at him. Is he going to turn around in silence? Yell at him? Ben and his father never got along well—in fact, the last time Ben stepped foot in this house was over five years ago, the memory of a beautiful summer dusk forever tainted by their argument over signing Snoke’s contract extension. His father was right, of course; Ben was _stupid_ and  _foolish_ to have committed his soul to that… _monster_ for another five years. All for what? A promotion that added one more zero to his salary, but destroyed his humanity.

 

He finally got out of it; he slammed the resignation contract on Snoke’s desk last week with a beaming grin, heart unburdened and uplifted by freedom.

 

Silence continues to stretch between them, until Han finally steps forward, throwing his arms around Ben.

 

Ben stiffens in surprise; of all the reactions he had considered, this is definitely not one of them.

 

Han continues to squeeze him in a tight embrace, hand ruffling Ben’s long, obsidian locks in a way that would have irritated the young man in any other circumstance. “Ben,” whispers his father serenely, his eyes watering with a glimmering sheen, “you’re home.”

 

“Yes,” Ben says. “I am.” He clears his throat, hesitant about his next words. “Dad, I’m sorry—”

 

“No,” interrupts Han instantly. “Don’t be. We’re all humans, adults free to make our own choices. If we only focused on the past, the three of us would be sitting here crying for ages.” His trembling hands are the only sign that give away his nervousness, despite his gruff, unwavering tone. “What’s important is that you’re back home. With _us_.”

 

Ben finds that a lump has grown in his throat. “Okay,” he nods. “Thank you. I’m… happy to be home. Truly.”

 

The sharp ringing of the doorbell zaps through the cloud of high tension brimming among the family trio. Three brisk knocks ensue.

 

“Oh, that must be Rey!” Leia strides forward and twists the doorknob, pulling the large door open to reveal a young woman whose face is framed by brown, cascading waves lightly kissing her shoulders, her arms outstretched with an aluminum foil-covered tray.

 

“Hi! Thank you so much for inviting me tonight, I’ve never celebrated Thanksgiving before—” Ben’s eyebrows raise at the rapid speed of her words, as well as the clean British accent that spills out of her plush pink lips. “—and I’m so honored and grateful for such an opportunity. I hope you don’t mind I brought pumpkin pie—I can’t cook at _all_ , but my baking’s pretty decent, and Google told me pumpkin pie’s a traditional Thanksgiving thing… So I thought—”

 

“That sounds lovely, Rey,” says Leia. “Thank you for making it. It already smells divine, I cannot wait to try it later.”

 

A tinge of pink spreads across Rey’s cheeks. “Oh, it’s really nothing,” she stammers, looking down at her feet.

 

“Come on in,” Han utters with an inward motion of his arm. “Don’t just stand there. And let me take that.” He plucks the heavy tray from Rey’s hands with ease and turns back to the kitchen.

 

“Ben, meet Rey. She works for Han in his shop—”

 

Ben is sure his eyebrows have hit his hairline at this point. To his knowledge, Han has never employed anyone to work with or for him other than Chewbacca, and even then, Chewbacca was Han’s best friend.

 

“—and is an absolutely delightful person, beyond being a fantastic mechanic!” Leia exclaims with a proud grin. “Rey, this is Ben, our son. He just came home today—”

 

“Oh, you’re the illustrious Ben Solo I’ve heard so much about!” Ben blinks, simultaneously blinded by the dazzling grin the young woman shoots him, and blindsided by the words she just uttered. _Illustrious?_ “Leia said that you’re the youngest to ever achieve senior partner at your law firm!”

 

Now it is Ben’s turn to blush. “Er—yes, I guess—”

 

“Why don’t you two go sit down at the dining room table?” Leia interrupts, to the deep gratitude of Ben. “I need to go check on Han—goodness knows what’s going on in there, the turkey is probably burning under his watch—”

 

“If I recall correctly, princess, you were the one who burned toast— _toast!_ —and set off our fire alarm last week.”

 

Leia turns on her heels, storming towards the kitchen. “Now, Han, we both know that’s not true—”

 

Giggles trickle out of Rey’s lips. Ben realizes he likes hearing her laughter—soft and melodious chimes of bubbliness that light up the room like a thousand sparkling diamonds glittering under golden rays of sunshine.

 

“Your parents are so funny! I love them so much.”

 

“They’re…” He twists his lips in contemplation. “They’re alright, I guess.”

 

“Alright?” Rey repeats with incredulity. “They’re more than alright! They care for each other so much, it’s very heartwarming to see.” She seats herself at the corner of the table, one leg crossed over another. “And they love you very much.”

 

“They… they do?”

 

“Han’s always blabbing about your court cases, every time you win. Leia talks about your childhood stories all the time—”

 

“Oh.” Ben is lost for words, his mind scrambling to form coherent words. His gaze rakes over the filled dining table, lined with mashed potatoes, loaves of fresh bread, green bean casserole, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Rey’s pumpkin pie lays on the edge of the table. “I… had no idea.”

 

“Yeah… They miss you a lot. I have never seen their eyes so bright and radiant as they are right now, to see you home.” She heaves out a sigh of longing. “I admire the family you have very much.”

 

Ben senses that it’s a sensitive topic for her, so he doesn’t probe deeper. “Well, my parents are very fond of you. It’s clear they love and care for you a lot too.”

 

Her mouth falls open. “Really?” Rey straightens her back, eyes shutting briefly before re-opening. “That… that’s hard to believe—”

 

“They do. They definitely do.”

 

A beat of silence passes between Ben and Rey; in that moment, their thoughts seem to flow in a single current of understanding. “We’re both pretty messed up inside, aren’t we? Our brains are just swimming with insecurities,” Rey comments.

 

“We are,” he agrees, a freeing chuckle escaping the confines of his chest. His lips narrow into a thin line as his tone turns solemn. “Truth be told, I’m not sure why I even came home tonight. I… haven’t stepped foot in this house for… five years. I’ve barely talked to my parents since. And they’re just… _welcoming_ me back with open arms. It makes no sense to me.”

 

“You need to let go of the ghosts of the past, Ben.” He jerks his head upwards at hearing his name uttered from her lips. “I’m sure you have changed a lot in the last five years. And now that you’re home, you can make amends for anything you regret. Your parents will always be your family.”

 

Ben tilts his head to the side. The woman sitting across from him really is a bundle of surprises, a continuous string of enigmas waiting to be unraveled. “That’s… very wise of you to say.”

 

She beams up at him, lips stretching into a radiant grin. He responds with a quirk of his lips that quickly transform into an equally bright smile.

 

“Now, for the final centerpiece, we present to you—the Organa-Solo turkey, crafted by two _master chefs_! No burning accidents or otherwise whatsoever, _of course_ —”

 

Rey and Ben both break out into polite applause as the elderly couple carry out a humongous oven-roasted turkey dish. Their cheery grins fade a little when they notice the numerous dark, charred patches on the turkey’s skin, but neither deigns to comment.

 

“All of this looks so incredible, thank you two so much!”

 

“Yeah, you both really did a number tonight.”

 

“Well, thank you!” Han replies with a proud grin. “If we don’t have a proper feast on Thanksgiving, is it really Thanksgiving?”

 

Leia lightly punches her husband’s arm with jest. “Before we dig in, let’s say some words of thanks, shall we? We can say them in our head. What are you grateful for this year?”

 

Ben closes his eyes. He breathes in deeply, the savory scent of turkey filling his nose, heart emboldened and warmed by the homely feeling, not to mention the girl sitting across him. He has only just met her, but he already feels as if they have formed a strong connection.

 

_I’m thankful for new beginnings._

 

_For my family._

 

When their eyes flutter open, Rey and Ben glance at each other. Their faces blossom into soft smiles, both filled with silent yet mutual understanding.

 

_For life giving me a new chance to start over._

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
> 
> 2018 has been an absolutely transformative year for me. Not only did I start doing calligraphy, I began to write fanfic as well—I cannot express enough words to describe my gratitude for the Reylo fandom and how supportive you all have been of me since day one. My personal life has been full of ups and downs, old endings and new beginnings as well—all extremely exciting, happy beginnings! All in all, it has been a terrific year for me; I am so thankful to everyone who has helped make 2018 such a lovely year for me.
> 
> Once again, a big thank you to CaraRose for the wonderful prompt!
> 
> If you liked this Reylo fic, please consider checking out my other works [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reylocalligraphy) ^_^
> 
> Come say hi to me on Tumblr ([@reylocalligraphy](https://reylocalligraphy.tumblr.com)) and Twitter ([@reylocallig](https://twitter.com/reylocallig))!


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